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We took a few weeks off from our workout program to let you play with all of your scraps, but now we must get back on track with organizing our creative space.  In addition to fabric, magazines and patterns seem to collect over time without anyone noticing.  Boxes and drawers are often filled with "I'm going to make this for sure" ideas.  Let's take time this week to revisit some of those magazines.  Here is your homework, with two options (the "tear out and store" or "scan and e-file") for you:

Magazines Method 1: Tear Out

• Grab some sticky notes
• Get yourself a couple of three-ring binders, several packages of page dividers, and lots of plastic sleeve inserts
• Gather all of your magazines

Now, you need to set up your sorting space. This can be the living room floor, dining room table, or anywhere that allows you to spread out a bit while at the same time being able to sort.  Pop in a favorite movie, and grab a cup of your favorite beverage. Mark each sticky note by giving it a title (wall hanging, bed, baby, Inspiration, free-motion quilting, tips, craft, etc.) and place them within easy reach in your sorting space. 

Begin flipping through a magazine.  As you find an article/pattern that you want to make, tear it out and place it in its sticky note designated pile.  Continue through each magazine in this manner.  Don't forget the cover; sometimes the image on the front is what caught your eye in the first place.  Once you have gone through all of the magazines, set those aside (to toss out, recycle, or donate).

Insert each article/pattern in its own page protector sheet.  Work by area to keep things from getting jumbled.  Once you have everything in protector sheets, add them to your three-ring binder under its title section.  Laura at Make Life Lovely finds this method very useful for a whole host of magazine articles she wants to save.  She even creates notebooks by subject.

Magazine Method 2:  Electronic Filing

Saving PDF files on your computer really helps to save space in your studio, but there are is a drawback to keep in min for this system.  PDF files take up a large amount of space on your computer.  There are options such as Dropbox, disks or purchasing a few flash drives to keep your main computer from getting bogged down.  f you are saving the file in a different format, there is not as much space taken up on your computer.  Check to see what is the best option for you.

• Grab some sticky notes in different colors (we like the skinny 5/8" x 2")
• Gather all of your magazines

Assign each your colored sticky notes a title (wall hanging, bed, baby, Inspiration, free-motion quilting, tips, craft, etc.).  This will help as you begin working your way through each magazine.  As you find an article/pattern that you want to save, flag it with its sticky note for that particular title (red= quilting tips).  As you go through the magazine, there will most likely be a number of different colored sticky notes.  Continue in this manner until you have gone through all of your magazines.

Depending on the file-saving method you have chosen, create files by the titles you desire that correspond to the colored sticky notes.  Begin scanning and saving articles by sticky note color in each magazine.  As you complete a scan, remove the sticky note, so as not to repeat yourself.

What to do with all of those magazines?

Need some ideas on what to do with the magazines you no longer want to keep (other than your local guild)?  Here are a few that we think are very worthy. As with any magazine donation, make sure to remove/mark out your personal mailing address:

1. Your local library.  Call ahead to make sure that they accept older issues.
2. Nursing Home/Retirement Community.
3. Military Troops/Veterans Organizations.  Military personel enjoy having some new reading material, especially those serving overseas.

4. Women's/Family Shelter.  Reading an inspiring magazine is very relaxing.  It might just encourage someone during a challenging time.

5. Local Doctor's office.  Reading a magazine is a great way to pass the time while waiting for an appointment.

6. Pre-School/Day Care.  Magazines are great material for making crafts.

Now that you have whittled down the magazines that you do want to save, here are a few ideas for attractive ways to store them:

Gail from My Repurposed Life found a clever use for displaying magazines on an old shutter.

The Family Handy Man files his magazines away.

Quitoxic Quilter uses white carboard file boxes from Ikea.